To think being a reader doesn't make you better or smarter?

When you watch a TV series or film, most of the work is done for you and you can consume it quite passively. A theatre show might require you to use your imagination more. But when you read a novel, you have to visualise everything yourself (and you'll probably end up using all your senses, or the memories evoked by them, in order to bring the setting and dialogue to life). It's totally absorbing. Because of this, there are people who argue that a novel isn't complete until someone reads it. Your impression of the novel will be unique and in a way, you interact with the author, even though you've never met them and they might be long gone.

As Alan Bennett wrote in The History Boys:

The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it's as if a hand has come out and taken yours.

I am a big reader and I think it broadens my mind. I read books written by authors from different parts of the of the world and from different times. I can read for hours, but have really poor attention span when it comes to Tv watching. I don’t listen to music and rarely manage to sit through a film.

I think this very much depends on what you read! Just because something is published does not mean it's any good!

I also don't think that fiction is for everyone and for non fiction there are lots of other resources, including podcasts.

I think, but couldn’t quote any studies so might be wrong, that reading lights up different parts of your brain than TV. But I also know different kinds of music do that too and I would imagine lots of interests light up different parts of your brain. Personally I spend lots of time online in not enriching ways, a bit on news/politics/research and then reading, cooking and gardening are probably the good for my brain things I do. You sound like you have lots of interests that are good for your brain and don’t need to add something you don’t enjoy.

I suspect most people could do neither. And who’s to say that knowing the Love Island winners are less useful anyway - if you are right and most people know them, then surely that gives you a better way to connect with people?

Also, what is reading Jack Reacher novels (for instance) going to tell you about the seven ancient wonders of the world?

I am actually a reader. But people get hideously snobbish about reading vs everything else, for no good reason as far as i can see.

Maybe we thought differently?

l have critical thinking skills. I just use them differently.

Not going along with Covid guidelines doesn’t indicate critical thinking skills, l could suggest it could mean lots of other things.

I was a phenomenal reader in younger years, once I found the style of book that pulled me in.

In later years I have stopped as I never seem to have the time but my ability to pick the right word for the situation, quick witted response and spelling ability certainly declines when I stop reading.

I can't imagine not reading for pleasure or information. Leading to read and the world of worlds it unlocked has been a lifelong delight.

Has it made me a better person? Perhaps not. More intelligent? Possibly: Google the Flynn effect for an academic's insights into population level IQ increases stimulated by complex media and plots.

But a good story, excellent biography or persuasive history and political book will always be of interest. I like both fiction and non-fiction.

That's a VERY niche example!

In the majority of cases, it really doesn't matter (evidence-based) what you read. It's the act of reading that engages core functions of the brain, that would contribute to being 'smarter', if you want to use that term. It's the activity, not the content.

(Clearly if you are specifically reading to study, or gain a qualification, what you read matters too, but OP was not talking about this. In general life, what you read is much less important than the act of reading, conspiracy theory texts aside. That being said, I still think even conspiracy theory books will be a lot more valid than reading the dross that can be found online, regardless of whether I agree with the premise of them).

Tbh if i hadn't spent as much time reading my mum's Mills & Boon and Lena Kennedy books I probably wouldn't have moved on to what is more generally considered literature or the non-fiction I read and I most likely wouldn't be as willing or able to read, interpret or break down complex information.

Reading the stuff book snobs disparage can be every bit of an incredible tool. I dislike book snobbery especially when it comes to children. One of my daughter's friends wasn't allowed to read fiction for a summer and wasn't allowed to borrow her DOAWK books. I don't see the point in that and I know people really do that series down but I see my daughter taking something new from it every time, along with other book series' she's attached to. It doesn't mean she'll only ever read that - I'm in my 40s and don't read Point Horror any more - another series that people have picked on to disparage - but it was foundational for me. I truly believe books are bricks.

Oh gosh, the comprehension. You only need to spend an hour on here to see how poor the majority of people’s comprehension is. Really very simply posts go completely over their heads and they start replying ti the scenario they have made up, because they cannot understand what is being communicated to them. It’s very sad.

I love reading and I enjoy read about places or events I am not familiar with so I suppose I do learn a little from it. I’m just as likely to read complete trash though so definitely being a reader doesn’t necessarily confer superior knowledge. I just love the escapism of it. You ( the OP) have this in art and dance etc. I am embarrassed by my complete lack of knowledge and appreciation for art. I tried but I just can’t even tell whether I like something or not. My DP loves art and could happily spend all day in a gallery. Everyone just has different areas of interest - doesn’t mean more or less intelligent or superior

I am also a huge Mole fan!

Reading also improves comprehension, inference, predicting etc.

Me too.

I agree with this.
Just one example is, most of what I know about UK politics in the 70s and 80s – Thatcher, the miners' strikes, Greenham Common etc – comes from reading Adrian Mole when I was a teenager .
Actually, mention of Jane Eyre reminds me that reading it made me interested enough to go off and find out more about Caribbean Creole society in the 19th century.

TV shows, and even films, are now made to be so dumbed down so viewers can follow the plot while playing on their phone. TV is really dumb now; you have to work hard to find a show that actually takes some brain power.

Reading isn’t like that. It actually requires attention and thought. The average reading age of adults in this country is that of an 11 year old… it’s really bad. People need to start reading more, broadening their knowledge base. Read books from different cultures and points of view.

I think it does make you more intelligent and one of my red lines when dating was cutting out any man who said, “I don’t do books.”

This is another point I meant to make - I also think DH and I have a much higher level of critical thinking than my friends/family who don’t read. We really take apart and discuss/think about things from all angles and don’t just go along with what is fed to us from the media.

I remember being shocked during Covid with how many people we knew just blithely went along with everything they were told to do and didn’t even question things.

FIL (who is more intelligent than most) even thought there should be forced vaccination and I have to admit I lost a bit of respect for him.

It's all about the content though.

You can watch documentaries on all manner of topics these days and they are entertaining and informative. There are countless podcasts on the same. YouTube has a wealth of information. None of these things require reading.

Equally you could read voraciously, but not the classics, or the latest Booker prize-winner. You may not learn a lot of facts, but your spelling and grammar will almost certainly improve. You might find it relaxing and good for the imagination, but this could also be said for other ways of acquiring knowledge.

Reading isn't the key, the key is having an enquiring mind. If you get your knowledge from books, that's great. If you get it from documentaries or podcasts, that's also great. One is not inherently better than the other.

Yep I definitely don’t agree books are better than the internet for educating yourself! Not least because most books can be found on the internet.

I don’t read many physical books these days. I do watch a lot of documentaries, podcasts, kindle/google books, online academic journal articles, online newspapers etc.

I read a lot and would describe myself as thicker than pig shit.

Wouldn’t you have learnt a lot of that from the Little Women film?

There are plenty of films that are poignant and/or educational (Schindlers List and Good Morning Vietnam both taught me a lot about historic periods that I wouldn’t have otherwise known as I wouldn’t pick up a book about war).

I usually have about 3 books on the go, a novel, a biography, and maybe something historical or politcal. Reading is my escape and my main hobby. It suits my personality and the way I think. I don't think it makes me better or smarter than anybody else. I would love to be outsdoorsy and sporty, or to be able to knit or sew, to be creative as a way to relax but I am cack handed and not in any way practical so books are my way of relaxing. Each to their own, some people hate reading the way I hate going to the gym. We are all different.

I love Dickens stories...but I really struggled with actually attempting to read the original novels.
The writing style I found hard to follow.
We have an Usborne collection of Dickens stories which is how I've read them.

Agreed. - ETA I thought I'd quoted a pp here but must not have!
Readers might also 'sound smarter, articulation, turn of phrase and vocabulary use can be linked to reading.

I did a dyslexia course years ago and it was explained to us that, while obviously having dyslexia doesn't make you less smart, as the years go on and reading gap widens, IQ is effected as peers generally will be reading at a higher level in terms of information, language and complexity. So you could take from that that simply not reading would have the same impact.

It sounds like you have plenty of interests etc so it'd likely not true of you.

A fantastic principal I knew told me that he never read at all until after he qualified as a teacher so he had done perfectly well without it! (He's now an avid reader by the way!)